Metra billboard wins local Addy Award

Metra has won a local Silver Addy Award from the American Advertising Federation, honoring the agency's digital billboard touting the Chicagoland regional rail system as the area's "Real Expressway."

Created jointly by Staples Marketing and Metra's marketing team as part of the "Metra Makes Life Easier" campaign last spring, the billboard won the award in the category of "Out-of-Home, Outdoor Board, Flat," a Metra spokeswoman says.

The American Advertising Federation's Madison, Wis., chapter announced the award late last month. The American Advertising Federation is based in Washington, D.C.

The campaign stressed all the advantages of riding Metra, with additional emphasis on the volatility of gas prices and the amount of time and money Chicagoans waste annually sitting in traffic jams.

"We are very pleased that our efforts to bring new riders to our trains have been recognized by industry professionals," said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno in a statment. "Our promotional programs were an important part of developing good relationships with customers in 2013, and that will continue this year."

Metra says its ridership of 82.3 million passenger trips in 2013 was up 1.2% over 2012 passenger levels, in keeping with the nationwide trend detailed March 10, 2014 by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).